Business - Leadership and management

Combining technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, this program is designed for those motivated to improve products, processes, operations and organizational structures. Courses emphasize qualitative and quantitative methods for data-informed decision-making. You’ll also have opportunities to apply creative problem-solving and change management strategies.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, the curriculum offers knowledge of business fundamentals and the startup process from funding to launch. You’ll learn to develop technology-based ventures and innovate new products through design and disruptive thinking. There are also opportunities to network and interact with entrepreneurial peers worldwide.

The skills you’ll develop

Through hands-on learning experiences, you’ll expand your problem-solving skills, focusing on first-principle, conceptual and design thinking. You’ll be equipped to devise and execute project management, tactical and financial strategies. Technology and entrepreneurship courses also foster analytical reasoning, opportunity analysis and leadership abilities.

Additionally, you’ll gain transferable skills in persuasion and resourcefulness. Assignments offer opportunities to communicate ideas through engaging storytelling, quantitative measures and presentations. With these skills and the eagerness to embrace new technologies, you’ll graduate as a leader prepared to improve society.

Tailor your studies with one of two tracks

You can customize your learning path depending on whether you plan to start a business or pursue a role in an established company. In the entrepreneurship track, the curriculum prepares you to create a technology-based startup. If you select the innovation track, courses focus on advancing technological operations and promoting social change within existing organizations.

Additionally, this bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Leadership and Management
• Master of Science in global technology and development
• Master of Science in public interest technology

Organizational leadership is a management strategy that prioritizes motivation, teamwork and a shared dedication to workplace success. Within this framework, organizational leaders establish company goals and oversee team efficiency and morale.

This organizational leadership degree focuses on developing innovative leaders who can build and support a cohesive and productive workplace environment.

The knowledge and skills you’ll develop in this program

A bachelor’s in organizational leadership can help you achieve your goal of becoming an impactful manager, forward-thinking leader and visionary in your field. This is not a business degree; the focus is on leadership rather than aspects of business.

The exact duties of a leader will vary depending on the industry and organization you work for. But the following key skills you gain through this program will support most leadership roles:

• Conflict management.
• Critical thinking.
• Decision-making.
• Delegation.
• Problem-solving.
• Strategic planning.

What can you do with an organizational leadership degree?

Organizations in the private, public and nonprofit sectors all have a demand for influential leaders. These companies need leaders with the ability to communicate clearly, motivate their teams and improve their bottom line. This program will help you develop the skills needed to lead organizations toward accomplishing their goals and objectives.

Additionally, this bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an accelerated master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in as little as one extra year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Liberal Studies.
• Master of Project Management.
• Master of Science in organizational leadership.

This program allows you to build a custom degree by combining two academic disciplines into one major.

You’ll select two concentrations from more than 40 available options, with advisors available to help you choose the ones best for you. It's an ideal program for those who are undecided on a major or want to pursue multiple areas of study.

One of the most popular combinations is to pair a concentration in business with a second focus in psychology. Other complementary options include:

• Applied business data analytics and business
• Business and project management
• Business and real estate
• Counseling/applied psychology sciences with family studies
• Family and human development and communication
• Personal health and integrative health
• Project management and sustainability
• Science, technology and society with technical entrepreneurship and management
• Sales and marketing essentials and organizational leadership

A culminating experience with a focus on experiential learning

IDS 401 is the program’s culminating experience in which you’ll arrange, plan and execute a learning project. Throughout this course, you’ll be guided in applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating interdisciplinary concepts to a real-world problem.

You’ll choose from one of the three options below. The College of Integrative Sciences and Arts will work with you to help you find a project that fits your interests. No matter which you choose, the experience will integrate both your concentrations in a meaningful way:

• Applied study: The applied study is a traditional work experience where you’ll spend 120 hours at a site of your choosing putting your integration and concentration area knowledge into practice. In addition to the hours completed onsite, there will be an online class component where you’ll reflect on your internship work.
• Directed study: A directed study is a thesis, creative or research project that you’ll design in consultation with a faculty member. This option is best suited for you if you’re interested in graduate school or have a creative project you’re interested in pursuing. This can be a great way to start a CV, create a portfolio or design your own project.
• Research fellows: You’ll partner with School of Applied Sciences and Arts faculty to assist them with research and ongoing faculty-led projects. This option is highly competitive, so you should begin planning for this option early.

Upskill with a master’s degree

This bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Liberal Studies
• Master of Project Management
• Master of Science in organizational leadership

In this program, you’ll learn to apply business management techniques to the complex world of food processing, trade and sales across the supply chain. As you develop a specialization in food industry management, you’ll gain the skills needed to impact how companies deliver and process food while maintaining safety standards.

Upon graduation, you'll be prepared for careers in development, marketing, operations and sales with food retailers, processors and distributors. With a focus on supply chain management, finance, strategy and more, you’ll gain the expertise needed to navigate and excel in this competitive global sector.

How does this program compare to a restaurant management degree?

While a restaurant management degree focuses specifically on managing restaurant operations, this program prepares you for a broader range of careers across the entire food industry. You’ll gain expertise beyond restaurant management in areas such as food processing, marketing and distribution. You’ll graduate equipped for a broader array of positions in retail, food service and institutional food management.

Engineering management involves refining processes related to science and technology. Working in engineering management requires you to connect business functions with operational improvements. In this program, you'll build skills to better manage and organize engineering professionals and teams. Your coursework will explore analytics, management theory and technical engineering expertise. When you conduct experiments that interpret data, you’ll start to understand the business ramifications of your designs and improvements.

To further enhance your education, this bachelor's degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Science in industrial engineering

The skills you’ll develop

This BSE program in engineering management is designed to provide you with skills for effective management of engineering-driven enterprises. This includes foundational knowledge in business practices, organizational behavior and advancing your management skills. Upon completing your studies, you’ll understand how engineering interacts with other areas in manufacturing, research and service organizations. You’ll also develop hands-on expertise in designing and conducting experiments, analyzing and interpreting data, and managing systems and processes to meet business objectives.

Operations management focuses on producing efficient, timely and consistent products. Professionals in this field oversee current practices, streamline processes and ensure quality control. The curriculum emphasizes organization and planning skills, which can support your success in future roles.

In this program, you’ll study the technical and managerial sides of operations management. Courses in implementation, innovation, planning and strategy allow you to build a valuable knowledge base. You’ll also develop practical skills such as:

• Communication.
• Motivation.
• Organization.
• Resource allocation and management.
• Strategic planning.

How is a Bachelor of Applied Science degree different from a BA or BS degree?

Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts programs are designed for students with any educational background. Bachelor of Applied Science degrees are designed specifically for those who’ve earned an Associate of Applied Science.

• Students who’ve earned an AAS from a regionally accredited institution may transfer 60 credit hours toward their BAS.
• Students who’ve earned an AAS from a regionally accredited Arizona community college may be eligible to transfer up to 75 credits toward their BAS.

Please plan to meet with an academic advisor to ensure your courses will meet specific degree requirements.